Reinforced-concrete floor construction.



P. SQUIRES. REINFORCED CONCRETE FLOOR CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.18. 1913.

1,1 15,344. Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

WITNESSES INVENTOR. u. O

' flTTORNEY.

1H5 NORR/b PETERS r0. PHOTOJJTHU WASHINGTON, '3 (T.

II T TE SWAT PATENT FI CEQ Specification of Letters Patent.

REINFORCED-CONCRETE FLOOR CONSTRUCTION.

Patented (Pet. 27, 19141.

Application filed December 18, 1913. Serial No. 807,892.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Fnnonnrcn Soumns, a citizen of the United States, residing in Plainfield, county of Union, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Reinforced-Concrete Floor Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention comprises improvements in reinforced concrete floor construction, the object being to secure the requisite strength with lightness and economy of materials and to enable the interior of the floor to be traversed in two directions, for various purposes, such as heating, ventilation, lighting, piping, power transmission, etc. To

this end I construct a concrete floor with a.

tible in situ forms of various kinds may be employed. The forms and cavities may be of practically any shape, though I prefer to use isolated forms which are wider at the bottom than toward the top, while the con tinuous forms diminish in depth toward the bottom.

In the accompanying views showing. illustrative embodiments of the invention: Figure 1 is a vertical section through a portion of a floor constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is aview similar to Fig. 1, but showing a modified construction; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4.l of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the relation of the forms and the reinforce elements before concreting; and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section illustrating the manner of supporting the continuous forms on the isolated forms prior to concreting.

In these views the isolated cavities are shown as formed by block forms a or (L which are disposed in intersecting rows with spaces between them at both sides. The continuous two-way cavities are formed by hollow forms 7), which extend continuously in the spaces between the isolated block forms and intersect each other at the crossings. The openings in these continuous forms extend throughout the floor, and enable the interior thereof to be traversed in straight lines from side to, side. Continuous cavities such as shown, or of modified construction, may be used for heating or ventilating ducts, the passage of pipes of shafting, or the reception of illuminating devices.

The two kinds of forms arranged as illustrated are spaced laterally from each other at both sides, so as to afford, in elfect, intersecting channels. Rods c, which extend from support to support at the ends of the span, are disposed near the bottom of these channels, forming a two-way system of reinforcements parallel with the two sets of continuous intersecting cavities. Concrete 01 is poured or filled into the spaces between the forms and over the tops of the same, thus producing in effect a two-way or intersecting system of concrete beams having their upper or compression portions merged in a continuous top slab e. The concrete surrounds the reinforcements throughout their length and fireproof the same. In Fig. 5 the concrete forms also a continuous bottom slab f, beneath the forms, to constitute the ceiling. In this construction the reinforcements may be disposed below the channels between the forms and embedded in such bottom slab. In the other illustrated form the reinforcements are located within the channels, slightly above their bottoms. In such constructions the forms a may have closed bottoms, which, placed edge to edge, form the ceiling. In other instances, for example in the construction shown in Fig. 3, the forms a may be open at the bottom.

The forms may be of any suitable material, for example gypsum or plaster of Paris. For convenience, the two kinds of forms may be designated isolated forms and continuous forms; but it will be understood that the isolated forms may meet at the bottom and that the continuous forms will, in practice, consist of a number of forms set continuously end to end with their passages in alinement. As represented in Fig. 5 the intersecting portions of these forms may be made as a one-piece, integral, cruciform section.

The invention is not limited to any particular shape of forms and cavities or crosssection of beams; and, in fact, these may vary in different parts of the floor. In the particular construction shown, the forms a or e are comparatively wide at the bottom and slope or diminish in cross-section from all sides toward the top. In the specific construction illustrated they take the form of truncated pyramids. The continuous forms Z) are preferably wider at the top, and diminish in width toward the bottom.- As shown, they are substantially of inverted triangular cross-section.

One method of constructing a floorin accordance with the invention comprises settingup a temporary underlying support 0'0, placing the isolated form athereon, positioning the reinforce rods near the bottoms of the intersecting channels thus produced, then supporting the continuous forms in the upper portions, within these channels, by means of strips of wood nailed to both kinds of forms, and finally pouring the concrete between and over the forms. Where the construction includes a bottom slab, as in Fig. 8, such slab may be formed first by depositing a layer of suitable thickness on the underlying support; and thereafter the isolated and continuous forms and the reinforce rods may be set in position, as described, and the concrete applied between and over them in the manner just described.-

The floor is especially adapted to be cast in site, or it may be cast in another place and set up as a finished slab.

What I claim as new is:

1. A concrete floor formed with a top slab of concrete and provided beneath said top slab with multiple sets of continuous parallel cavities, said cavities intersecting each other and permitting the interior of the floor to be traversed in multiple directions, the floor being further provided with isolated cavities in the concrete between said continuous intersectingcavities, and min force elements embedded in the concrete near the bottom of said continuous cavities and extending in multiple directions parallel therewith.

2. A concrete floor formed with a top slab and continuous hollow intersecting ribs beneath and integral with said top slab, hollow forms embedded and extending continuously in said ribs and intersecting each other at the crossings, said forms affording continuous passages traversable in multiple directions across the interior of the floor, and reinforce elements embedded in the concrete at the lower portions of said ribs and extending both ways across the floor.

3. A floor composed of isolated forms disrections parallel with said continuous forms,

said continuous forms having openings extending continuously therethrough enabling the interior of the floor to be traversed in multiple directions.

4. A floor composed of hollow block forms disposed in intersecting rows with spaces between the blocks both ways across the floor, and hollow forms disposed in continuous intersecting lines in the spaces between the other forms and affording continuous passages through the interior of the floor in both directions, the two kinds offorrns being spaced from each other so as to afford intersecting channels, in combination with reinforce elements disposed near the bottoms of said channels and extending both ways across the floor, and concrete filling said channels, surrounding said reinforce elements and covering the forms so as to form intersecting beams with a continuous top slab.

5. A floor composed of hollow block forms disposed in intersecting rows, said forms having wide bases and inclining or diminishing in cross-section from all sides toward the top, and hollow forms disposed in continuous lines in the spaces between the other forms and diminishing in width toward the bottom, the interiors of said continuous forms affording continuous traversable passages both ways across the interior of the floor, concrete filling the spaces between the forms and forming a top slab covering the same, and reinforce elements extending in both directions within the lower portion of the floor parallel with the continuous forms.

6. A floor and ceiling construction composed of hollow closed bottom ceiling formers set substantially in contact at their hottoms and spaced from each other in both directions above their bottoms, and hollow forms disposed in continuous intersecting lines in the spaces between and spaced from the sides of the ceiling formers with their interiors affording continuous passages both ways across the interior of the floor, reinforce elements extending in both directions across the floor beneath said continuous forms, and concrete filling the spaces between the continuous forms, and ceiling formers and also'forming a top slab covering the same.

7. A concrete floor having a continuous concrete top slab and isolated cavities arranged in intersecting rows in the concrete of its lower portion, said cavities diminishing in cross-section toward the top, hollow and reinforce elements embedded in the conforms diminishing in width toward the botcrete and extending both Ways across the tom. embedded in the concrete between said floor near the bottoms of said forms. oivities, said forms being disposed in con FREDERICK SQUIRES. tinuous intersecting lines with their interiors Witnesses:

aifording continuously traversable passages G. H. EMPRY,

both Ways across the interior of the floor, R. W. MORRIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, .D. G. 

